Spaghetti Western Harmony Warms Lord Huron Dreams: July

Thick fog, a backdrop of sprawling canyons and the sound of birds chirping conjured a wilderness feeling inside Webster Hall on June 21 as Lord Huron took the stage.

Frontman Ben Schneider strummed his acoustic guitar and gently sang the opening lines to “Ends of the Earth,” soon joined by rolling drums and western-style electric guitar. The five-piece harmonized, which they would do all evening.

The band then glided into “The Man Who Lives Forever.” A deep bass line ebbed and flowed with tapping percussion for an infectious samba feel.

Schneider, who now resides in California, was vacationing in the Lake Huron area of his home state of Michigan back in 2010 when he wrote the songs that would soon be found on the band’s first EP. Since then, Lord Huron has toured extensively. The 2012 debut full-length record, “Lonesome Dreams,” was a consistent listen from front to back.

The title track came up next at last month’s concert. The crowd cheered at the first notes. Schneider used chimes for the start of “We Went Wild,” which soon acquired snappy drums and jangly guitars. As the pace picked up, Schneider put down his guitar and lost his cowboy hat as he joined in vigorously on percussion. The song’s energy got the house dancing.

In the lull before the next tune, Schneider played harmonica for the opening of “The Ghost on the Shore,” a dreamy number. For “She Lit a Fire,” the guitars perked up, the drums marched and the crowd sang along.

‘The Stranger’

The band kept the pulse high as the celebratory track “The Stranger” kicked in. Muscular drumming, guitar scales and slide work had the audience jumping around. It was a fine first night of summer with Lord Huron’s spaghetti-western flare as soundtrack.

The band’s U.S. tour includes several music festivals such as XPoNential in Camden, New Jersey, and Newport Folk in Rhode Island. The group will be supporting Alt-J for a monthlong tour that hits Central Park’s SummerStage on Sept. 15.

Here’s a selection of New York-area shows in July. Please note that opening bands aren’t always listed. Shows marked (SO) are sold out, although online services such as Craigslist often have tickets.

July 2
Pretty Lights at Output (SO)
July 3
Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine at Bowery Ballroom
July 4
The Feelies at Maxwell’s (SO)
July 5
Cayucas at Mercury Lounge (Early)
Nude Beach/Prince Rubert’s Drops at Knitting Factory
July 6
She & Him/Camera Obscura at Central Park SummerStage (SO)
July 7
Preservation Hall Jazz Band at McKittrick Hotel
July 8
CSS/IO Echo at Bowery Ballroom
July 9
Bass Drum of Death/The So So Glos at Glasslands Gallery
July 10
The Polyphonic Spree at Bowery Ballroom
Heartless Bastards/JBM at Music Hall of Williamsburg (SO)
July 11
Savages at Webster Hall (SO)
Belle & Sebastian/Yo La Tengo at Prospect Park Bandshell (SO)
July 12
Phish at Jones Beach Amphitheater (SO)
July 13
Rachel Yamagata/Sanders Bohike at Bowery Ballroom (SO)
July 14
Inc./Kelela at Music Hall of Williamsburg
July 15
Titus Andronicus at Maxwell’s (SO)
July 16
Wire/Bear in Heaven at Bowery Ballroom
July 17
OMD/Diamond Rings at Terminal 5
July 18
Mikal Cronin at MoMA (Free)
July 19
Kisses at Mercury Lounge (Late)
July 20
Antibalas/The Stepkids at Bell House
July 21
Ted Leo/Shellshag at Maxwell’s (SO)
July 22
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue/Soulive/Anders Osborne at
Central Park SummerStage
July 23
Phil Lesh & Friends at Capitol Theater
July 24
New Order/Holy Ghost! at Williamsburg Park
Father John Misty/Wild Nothing at Terminal 5
July 25
Foxygen/Thao & The Get Down Stay Down at Hudson River Park Pier
84 (Free)
July 26
Bob Dylan/Wilco/My Morning Jacket at Pier A (Hoboken, New
Jersey)
July 27
Woods/Alex Bleeker & the Freaks at Bowery Ballroom
July 28
The Gaslight Anthem/The Hold Steady at Hudson River Park Pier 26
July 29
Youth Lagoon/Prince Rama at Webster Hall
July 30
Lee Ranaldo (of Sonic Youth) and the Dust at Maxwell’s (SO)
July 31
The Love Language/Eternal Summers at Mercury Lounge

(Jaime Widder works in sales for Bloomberg News. Any opinions expressed are his own.)

Muse highlights include Jeffrey Burke on books, James S. Russell on architecture.